where East meets West

Let it Ferment

The more I think of my culinary heritage, the more pride I can take in it. I would think the inclination I have now to fermented foods and drinks may have something to do with how much I loved ‘Gundruk’1 and ‘thwoñ’2 growing up.

I have been making kombucha, yogurt, and sauerkraut quite religiously now. Love integrating these cultured foods in my diet. Sally Fallon, who likes to boldly challenge politically correct nutrition and diet dictocrats, states that “cultured or fermented products play a role in many traditional cuisines3. Before the age of industrialization, many Europeans consumed milk as yogurt, cheese, clabber or curd.” Many traditional cultures knew how to preserve veggies longer through Lacto-fermentation and they were “prized for their delicious taste and medicinal properties.”

My understanding of fermentation is that the lactic-acid helps break down the sugars, starches, and proteins making them easier to digest. Many important chemical changes take place during fermentation that produces beneficial enzymes, antibiotic, and anticarcinogenic substances. Personally, my oldest son had to resort to antibiotics so many times due to multiple ear-infections that I wanted to do something to improve his gut flora. So thankful, he loves the kombucha I make that I ferment twice (2F) with his favorite fruits like blueberries, raspberries, and bananas.

I just want to encourage you to try getting some fermented foods in your diet. If you buy them, make sure they are high-quality brands. If you make them, using organic products and pure or filtered water would be your best bet to get the best outcome in terms of nutritional value.

I am gradually perfecting my hand at sourdough bread and kefir. I will post more about that in the future. For now, I leave you with some pictures of my handcrafted cultured/fermented food.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Note:

Fermented dry vegetables

Home brewed rice beer

“Nourishing Traditions: The Cookbook that Challenges Politically Correct Nutrition and the Diet Dictocrats.”